Chapter 13 Left and right neighbor control group 13
Zhang Xiaojia saw He Fei's expression and thought it was good that he didn't take it for granted. She didn't mind treating guests, but rather felt it was a pleasure. She enjoyed cooking and watching the guests enjoy the food. She just didn't have to clean up the dishes.
On Friday morning, just as the sky was beginning to turn pale, Zhang Xiaojia was already on her way to the supply and marketing cooperative. She clutched her meat coupons and mentally planned her menu. The cooperative wasn't crowded, thankfully; she didn't have to fight for space. She easily bought six pounds of pork belly and stumbled upon nearly ten pounds of small fish, all of which she pocketed. She also picked up peanuts and edamame, returning home with a full load.
Back home, Zhang Xiaojia got busy preparing a feast. Ten dishes, no more, no less, to showcase her cooking skills without overworking herself.
The most troublesome thing was the small fish. Zhang Xiaojia spent the whole morning cleaning the internal organs and scales. The rest was simple: braised edamame, fried peanuts, fried small fish and then made spicy small fish, pork belly made into braised pork, oil-free version of the three fresh vegetables, seaweed egg drop soup, scrambled eggs with green onions, vermicelli pot with dried shrimp, steamed eel, and bacon and dried bamboo shoots.
For staple food, Zhang Xiaojia chose the simplest steamed buns, which she bought directly from the canteen, saving the trouble of making them herself. She also cooked a pot of rice in case of emergency.
Divided into two tables, this is when the furniture the old man sent her came in handy.
An extra large square table was placed.
When Zhang Qingmei came in, she saw that she had already prepared the dishes.
"Don't you have a round table? I have one at home, I'll get it," she said, looking at the square table.
Zhang Xiaojia said with a smug smile, "Let's see."
Zhang Xiaojia smiled mysteriously, pressed a few buttons, and the square table instantly transformed into a large round table. This was an ancestral piece of furniture, meticulously crafted with mortise and tenon joints. Every time he used it, Zhang Xiaojia marveled at the wisdom of his ancestors.
Zhang Qingmei said at a table in the living room, "Didn't I say that all their battalion commanders must bring their wives?"
"I know! Let's go eat on the kang! The men here are all smoking and drinking, and the air is smoky and unbearable. Let's go to another room to eat. I've already prepared some other food."
Zhang Qingmei wanted to take out the electric fan from the room, but Zhang Xiaojia stopped her and said, "Give it to them, what will we use it for? It's okay for men to be shirtless, but not for women. Put it back."
"Xiao Jia, didn't you buy the wine? I'll go get it."
"Come back, I have it!" Zhang Xiaojia shouted
Many family members accompanying the army can be arranged to work. Those who do not go out to work, to put it bluntly, are either newly pregnant or women over 40 years old. There are very few women like her who are 24 years old and do not go to work.
It's Friday and everyone has to go to work, but Zhang Qingmei still took a leave of absence to help her.
"Xiao Jia, can you put this fish over to our side?"
"Children and women love to eat fish. This fish is delicious. Is there enough food for them here?"
"Enough. By the way, Baozhu said she wanted to raise piglets and asked us if we want to raise them?" Zhang Qingmei said and looked at her.
Zhang Xiaojia raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Zhang Qingmei laughed, "What your three disciples meant was that they wanted a pig for each of them. They wanted to eat pork during the New Year."
Zhang Xiaojia's mouth twitched. "Can we raise pigs? We raise them here."
"Of course we can! Many battalion commanders raise them, but those above the rank of regimental commander don't. They think it's shameful. Besides, after they're done raising them, we have to give two-thirds of them to our soldiers. That's why we don't raise them," Zhang Qingmei explained.
Zhang Xiaojia looked at her and said bluntly, "You clean, and I'll take care of it."
"Why?"
"I am raising your two sons now."
"That's your apprentice, okay?"
Zhang Qingmei came over quietly, her voice low, as if afraid of being noticed: "Don't be too surprised when the wife of the next battalion commander comes over. She's six years older than the first battalion commander, married for the second time, and looks a bit old. But, like us, she has the same surname as Zhang, and her name is Zhang Yisi."
Zhang Xiaojia's heart skipped a beat when she heard this. The name seemed strangely familiar to her. She asked tentatively, "Is he from Zhejiang?"
Zhang Qingmei looked at Zhang Xiaojia's slightly nervous expression and guessed something, so she tentatively responded, "Your family? But I remember my father said that your family has been a single-line family for nine generations."
Zhang Xiaojia sighed, seeming somewhat helpless. "My great-grandfather had a daughter in his old age, and gave birth to my great-aunt. You also know that my family has only one son for nine generations. To have such a great-aunt is also a great treasure. But who knew that she would be so desperate for a man. When she was in Yizhou, she even became a concubine of a great writer, which made my great-grandfather so angry that he almost killed someone. Later, my great-grandfather brought her back to Zhejiangzhou and forced her to marry. After giving birth to the child, she abandoned her husband and child and ran away to Xiangcheng. I thought she could live a stable life there, but who knew that she would secretly run back to the Zhang family for the Zhang family's prescription."
At this point, Zhang Xiaojia's tone was filled with helplessness and indignation. "My father had already given the prescription to the Lord of Yizhou City, but she kept making a fuss. My father simply took advantage of her fuss and donated all the family property to completely put an end to her hopes."
After hearing this, Zhang Qingmei felt a splitting headache. "How old was your great-grandfather when he gave birth to your great-aunt? And how much older is she than your father?"
Zhang Xiaojia chuckled, looking a bit frivolous. "My great-grandfather is still very much alive! He gave birth to my great-aunt when he was seventy, and my great-aunt is five years older than my father. This generational hierarchy is really messed up."
Zhang Qingmei asked again curiously, "Then why don't you two continue to get along?"
Zhang Xiaojia helplessly spread his hands and slowly explained, "Alas, this is a long story! Ever since my great-grandfather passed away, my great-aunt didn't want to stay in Jiuzhou anymore and wanted to go to Xiangcheng. At that time, my father personally sent her there.
My aunt's daughter believed my father had separated them, so she blamed him and cut off all ties with our family. Actually, my father and my aunt grew up together, so naturally they had a deep bond. Given the choice between my aunt and her, my father chose my aunt. So, over and over, their relationship grew increasingly strained, ultimately leading to the current situation.
Zhang Qingmei asked curiously, "I haven't heard of your grandfather?"
Zhang Xiaojia was even more gossipy than her, saying, "I haven't heard of it, nor have I seen it. Is he dead or alive? Who knows?"
Hearing the noise outside, I saw Zhang Yisi coming in with three children and another woman coming in with two children.
Zhang Qingmei quickly introduced: "Zhang Yisi is the battalion commander's wife. Liu Mei is the deputy battalion commander's wife.
Liu Mei said politely, "Hello, sister-in-law."
Zhang Xiaojia said, "Hello, come in and sit down. We'll go eat on the kang. What are the names of the two little ones?"
Liu Mei quickly said: "Defend the country, defend the people"
Zhang Yisi stared straight at Zhang Xiaojia in front of him, his lips slightly opening and closing. For a moment he was speechless and had no idea how to address the other person.
Zhang Xiaojia smiled and said affectionately, "Aunt, it's been a long time since we last met! These three handsome guys must be my nephews, right? Tell me, what are your names?"
Hearing this, Zhang Yisi couldn't help but feel a little surprised. She had never expected Zhang Xiaojia to call her "Auntie" so naturally. After calming down, Zhang Yisi quickly replied, "Well... this is the eldest, Zhang Xiaoyang. The second is Bai Rui, and the youngest is the third, Bai Zhe."
After hearing the introduction, Zhang Xiaojia's eyes immediately fell on Zhang Xiaoyang. She scrutinized the child, feeling an indescribable sense of familiarity welling up within her. After all, as a descendant of the Zhang family, Zhang Xiaoyang shared an inseparable blood bond with her. While some might dismiss this blood relationship as a mere feudal superstition, for Zhang Xiaojia, the sight of a child with the same surname, generation, and bloodline as hers instantly gave her a natural sense of closeness. Bai Rui and Bai Zhe wouldn't have been so surprised. At that moment, Zhang Xiaojia's eyes sparkled brightly, as if she had discovered a dazzling pearl.
Liu Mei looked at Zhang Xiaojia and Zhang Yisi. These two were aunt and niece, so why had she never heard them mentioned?
The three little ones also ran in and shouted, "Auntie, we are back."
When Zhang Xiaojia saw them coming back, he brought the dishes over and said, "Let's eat first."
Zhang Yisi asked, "Captain He hasn't returned yet. Shouldn't we wait for them?"
Zhang Xiaojia smiled and said, "No, they are at a table outside. We can eat our own food. There is no need to wait for them."
Zhang Yisi stood there, her heart awash with mixed emotions. Recalling her childhood, the pain and resentment of being abandoned by her biological mother lingered. Even more agonizing, she realized her cousin had helped her mother leave home. Thus, while deeply resenting them, she felt compelled to accept the Zhang family's various favors.
Now that she heard that Zhang Xiaojia was coming to the army, she was very conflicted and didn't even know how to face this person who had hurt her. Originally, she didn't want to come today at all, but her husband worked under Zhang Xiaojia's husband, so she really didn't dare not come!
At this time, Zhang Xiaojia was looking at the children in front of him with a smile. He found that they all knew the rules and did not fight or grab when eating. They looked particularly cute.
She asked kindly, "Xiaoyang, tell me, how old are you this year?"
Zhang Xiaoyang blinked his bright eyes and answered sweetly, "Auntie, I'm 7 years old."
Hearing this, Zhang Xiaojia couldn't help but laugh and said gently: "Xiaoyang, you three brothers can't call me aunt, you have to call me sister, because we are the same generation!"
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